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J. B. LB CLERC & M. A. oAGHoT. 'Ore Amalgamator.'

No. 199,724. A Patented Jan. 29,1878.

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' N.PE|'ERS. PHQTIDLITHOGRAPMERy WASHINGTON, D CA drawings, hereinreferred to dIINIran#El'.rAr-Es JEAN vRAPfrI-srn CLERC ANDMAXIMILLIAN A.CACHoT, lon sAN` FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. y Y

IMPROVEMENT IN oREj-'AMALGMATQ Rs.v

` Specification forming part :of Letters Patent No; 199,724, dated fOctober 9, 1877. l l' i' VTo all whom t may concern: A

Be it known that we, JEANBAPTIsrIi LnY CLERC and MAXLMILLIAN A. CAcnor,ofthe city and county 'of San Francisco, Statel of California, haveinvented a certain new and useful machine or apparatus for savingquicksilver and iioatgold or other metals inquartzmills, whichinventionis fully set forth in the following specicationl `andaccompanying derstanding of the invention.

In the said drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of ourimachine or`apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectionthroughl'the centerof the machine, and just in frontofthe vertical shaft. Fig. 3 isa. topview of one of the frames and itscups or pans." Fig. 4 is a detail viewof the lower part of the apparatus, showing the arrangement oftheperforated plates and trays 5 and Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views ofthe amalgam balls or globules, showing the form of two kinds used in theapparatus.

Shnilarletters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

Our invention has for its object to provide a machine or apparatus foreffecting, in a greater degree, the recovery of float-gold, mercury, andother valuable metallic particles that, from their exceeding line andminute condition, are carried off with the `heavier and worthlessparticles from the settler7 of the mill, and thus lost in the tailingsIt consists in the combination and arrangement of a series of cups orpans,with perforated bottoms, placedone over and above the other, andcontaining a quantity of metallic balls or globules coated with mercury,the cups or pans being held in a series of rings or frames, to which anindependent reciprocating or vibrating motion is given, one after theother, for the purpose of properly agitating the contents of the pan andaiding the passage ofthe stream of slime or pulp containing metallicparticles through and among the globules, and bringing theamalgamating-surfaces in thorough contact with the particles as thestream passes from one pan into the other one beneath, by producing arolling motion of the balls or globules 5 and, in connecfor a betteruntion andcombination with these cups o-r pans, ;thearrangement andIemployment of a series lof inclined perforated plates and trays, tostill further dividethe stream or slime as it passes out of themachina-and bring the lighter and Valuable particles in intimate contactwith the i metallicV amalgamated surfaces thus provided, 1 all of whichwill be. more fully described here- `inafter. i .f l y lteferring to theaccompanying drawings, AfArepresent the frame` of the machine 5 B G C,the 'rings or cIIpLholclinglframes; D D, the vertical shaft,..whichgivesvmotion to the rings; and E, the pulley, producing theproperrotationof ztheshaft. f f

rlhe parts are arranged one above the other, so that the contents orstream from one pan shall pass through the perforated bottom into thenext pan below. They each contain a num-l ber of metallic balls orglobules coated with Quicksilver, to catch and retain the ore particlesby amalgamation, while the worthless particles pass out from themachine. These amalgamating-surfaces are used in the pans either in theform of balls, as shown in Fig. 5,

of globules united together, one to the other, in groups of three ormore, of proper size and length to fit the bottom 0f the pan, as shownin Fig. 6. They are composed of lead, silver, or other metal of suitableweight with which the quicksilver will combine.

The vibrating motion of the pans B is produced by means of the verticalshaft l), which has a series of projections or cams, cl d, working inslots b b in the ring-frames C C. The continuous rotation of the shaftproduces a back-and-forth Inotion of the pans, one pan moving just inadvance of the other, but always over the one immediately beneath it, sothat the pulp or slime or stream running into the pans will always becaught within the rim of each one in passing to the bottom tray. Thesepans are arranged vertically, either in a single series or double, asshown in the accompanying drawing, whereby two streams of pulp from thesettler can be treated, and they are used and arranged, in any requirednumber, to any height.

January 29, 1878 application filed B, the cups or pans with perforatedbottoms 5' separate and detached, or they are composed In combinationwith and beneath each set ofvibrating pans are arranged several overflowtrays or troughs and inclined amalgamated plates, t0 still further breakup the slime or metalliferous stream and separate the valuableparticles.

The tray F receives the current iiowing through the perforated pans,andV holds the heavier particles, while the lighter portion is Thenumber of these plates and their trays may be increased at pleasurebeyond those .shown in the machine illustrated in the drawings. They areplaced one immediately below and in advance of the other, so that thelighter portion of the current overiiowin g from the trays will passover the plates, and thus receive and be exposed more thoroughly to theaction of the amalgamating-surface. The position of the perforatedplates and trays is clearly shown in Figs. 1,2, and 4 of the drawings.

By the use of these metallic balls or globules we are enabled to extractand save the` finer valuable articles from the slime or stream runningrom the settler or separator of the mill in a better and morecertainmanner than is at present done by machines or apparatus now' inuse, so far as is known to us, and by having the amalgamating ballsremovable from the pans they can be taken out as fast as they becomecovered, and replaced'by` new ones, and the operation of the machine canthus be rendered continuous.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new therein,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The series of cups or pans'B B, with perforated bottoms, arrangedvertically one over the other in supporting rings or frames C C, towhich a vibratory motion is given, the said cups or pans containing andbeing used in combination with a series or number of balls or globulesof lead or silver coated with quicksilver, constructed and arranged tooperate together substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with the series ofpvibrating cups or pans B B,arranged and actuated substantially as hereinbefore described, theseries of troughs ortrays F F1 F2 and inclined perforated and coatedplatesG G', arranged as herein described, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the series of frames C, carrying cups or pansB,varrangedas described, of the vertical camshaft E, for imparting avibrating motion'to such frames and cups, substantially as and for thepurposesv set forth.

Inl testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our handsthis Zdday 0f August, 1877.

JEAN BAPTISTE :LE CLERC. MAXIMILLIAN A. CACHOT. Witnesses:

EDWARD E. OsBoRNE, WILLIAM, HARNEY.

